Reform UK Conference - serious contenders or still a one-man band?
Written by Nathan Emmerich for The MJ, 8 Sept 2025
Reform UK kicked off the political party conference season at the NEC in Birmingham this weekend under the slogan “The Next Step”, as Nigel Farage called for “discipline” and laid out his vision for a 2029 electoral triumph. With Farage at the helm, the party’s rallying cry was clear - British politics is being redefined. But is it?
Adding a layer of suspense, Reform released its agenda 48 hours in advance, perhaps deliberately, sparking curiosity and hesitancy among businesses and journalists attending, eager to decipher Reform’s broader policies beyond its staple anti-immigration stance.
Upon arrival visitors were greeted by a display of 11 football jerseys, a visual proclamation that Reform UK is more than a one man band. The messiah-like aura Farage has amongst Reform members, many attending in their Reform FC teal jersey with Nigel Farage and the number 10 printed on the back, is comparable to the cult-like appeal of Jeremy Corbyn with the far-left during his short and ineffective tenure as leader of the Labour party in opposition. But unlike Corbyn, Farage is a far shrewder political tactician.
Against the backdrop of Reform’s 10-point lead over Labour, Farage’s party has expanded its political footprint over the last year with four MPs, two Metro Mayors and nearly 900 councillors across the country, with full control of 10 councils. Reform’s newfound responsibility to deliver critical public services has put it squarely in the spotlight.
Farage’s keynote speech, somewhat overshadowed by the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister and the cabinet reshuffle, referenced his promise to professionalise the party and his ambitions to prepare Reform for government in 2029.
The overwhelming consensus amongst agencies and journalists was that whilst this was a much slicker conference than previous iterations, substantial policy gaps remain glaringly obvious and there’s a lack of depth in the party.
While Nigel Farage boasts to have professionalised the party, perhaps true in terms of its structure, it still managed to undermine credibility by providing a platform to Dr Aseem Malhotra, who linked the Covid vaccine to the King and Princess of Wales recent cancer diagnosis. It also championed Lucy Connolly as a champion of free speech, despite willfully pleading guilty to inciting violence on social media by calling on protestors to burn down hotels housing asylum seekers.
Nonetheless, Farage remains unflappable amidst controversy and his increasing popularity suggests the electorate are tired of what they perceive to be an accepted decline, as stated by recent defectors in the Welsh Senedd, Laura Anne Jones, and Scottish Parliament, Graham Simpson.
A notable contradiction was present across the main stage and fringe events - Reform lambasts government ministers for being unqualified to lead their departments, yet admitted to their own shortcomings, with the Leader of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran, confessing her inexperience in handling the responsibilities provided to her upon election, including her lack of a policy position on dealing with social care - a stark example of the steep learning curve for Reform.
Farage’s keynote speech struck a different tone to previous iterations from bold proclamations to candid admissions of the party’s policy gaps, underscored by the challenges of a party that has rapidly grown in size. Perhaps the most notable announcement came in the form of establishing the party’s Department for Preparing for Government, which will include defector Nadine Dorries.
Reform UK’s conference was a proverbial mixed-bag and a missed opportunity for Farage to address Britain’s pressing issues head-on, beyond its usual focus on immigration and asylum seekers. Instead, there were glaring policy omissions, such as the NHS and adult social care, or SEND and the housing crisis. Those hoping to gain insights will have left with little more than they already knew in terms of Reform’s plans to centralise power and spending, whilst looking to reverse the legislative agenda implemented since 1997, including the Equalities Act, leaving the ECHR and reversing Net Zero, as confirmed by Reform’s legislative influencer, Laura Bailhache.
There’s an argument to be made that too much emphasis and attention is being placed on Reform UK, a party which has the same number of MPs as the Green Party, but if its stated ambitions to win the next general election are to be taken seriously, then it needs handling in the same manner as Labour, the Conservatives and Lib Dems.
Nigel Farage has been at the forefront of UK politics for two decades and the momentum he’s building will worry the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch. Farage doesn’t intend to budge and is hellbent, supported by more than 200,000 members and an increasing political footprint, to enter 10 Downing Street as the next PM in 2029. Labour surely needs to take a moment to look inwards and change tact, because the current approach risks a loss of seats in parliament and local government.